Forever Feral
by SacredFeather
Summary: in a world were hybrids are merely slaves for pleasure ichigo, the rarest of all breeds is suddenly thrown into the wild finding himself face to face with an ancient civilization and a handsome arrogant panther. as he settles into his new life he finds things arent always as they seem. inspired by Vearin7. yaoi. Mpreg. dont like dont read.
1. prolouge

Prologue

In the desert of Hueco Mundo, nestled in the sands, lay Los Noches, an ancient thriving civilization. Inhabited solely by hybrids, human-like creatures with animal characteristics, Los Noches was a paradise untouched by humans. Their paradise however, was shattered when an expedition of thirteen humans stumbled upon an outer temple of Los Noches. The humans had set up camp and unexpectedly a group of hybrid cubs stumbled into their camp during their play surprising both groups. The humans marveled at the strange creatures but the cubs were skittish around the strangers. After a little coaxing with sweets and other nonnative delicacies the cubs were soon trusting enough to approach. As the humans sat petting the cubs, one of their groups voiced an idea. To gather more of them and turn these strange creatures into pets! They were rare and thus could make a huge profit off of them. The vote was uneven but enough of the expedition liked the idea and convinced the cubs to take them back to the others.

Upon arriving the humans started capturing and caging as many cubs as they could, knowing that where there were cubs there had to be parents nearby. With their trap in place the cub's parents rushed out hearing their young in distress and were tranquilized when they it seemed like rescue was within grasp. The humans had managed to capture a surprising number of the hybrids but as they tried to advance past the temple they were fiercely attacked by an army of hybrids and retreated with what they'd caught. The hybrids cried over their losses and knew that the rest of Los Noches had to be protected or else the humans would just return and the hybrids would suffer again. From the day of the attack the hybrids then referred to the humans as Shinigami, for if they were allowed their way with the hybrids they'd surely be the death of their entire race.

The humans didn't care about the lives they had ruined and began selling some of the hybrids to the highest bidder while they kept the rest and began breeding programs so there'd be enough to fuel the never ending demand for the rare creatures. While the hybrids looked half animal they were very intelligent and held the same communication skills as their human masters thus making them good servants for their master. The humans coveted their beauty and most were used primarily as sex slaves. Their fierce wildness was beat out and replaced with complete obedience for their masters, knowing that they were nothing but tools to please their masters. The humans made sure their hybrids knew their place in society and sought for all hybrids to bow to the superior race. Wild hybrids, or ferals, would not stand for this and would free and welcome all domestics with open arms. Every human traveling through the Hueco Mundo desert knew to be wary of attack from the hybrids that could easily hide in the sands and strike viciously.

Among the hybrids the rarest and most beautiful were the Amur leopards. They were tall, graceful creatures with a wild beauty unsurpassed by any other. Sought out above all others the Amur's were critically endangered. The females, and some of the males, were often denied the right to breed by owners who wanted them for their own selfish purposes. If that order was disobeyed (even without their consent) then their owners simply murdered them, feeling that their vision of a surreal creature had shattered. It was mainly because of this that the Amur's where rapidly approaching extinction. Though all hope was not lost. Rarely a hybrid species would produce a male with the reproductive capabilities of a female, a beta male. Luckily one had been found in a fiery young male named Ichigo.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

In a traditional caravan, protected from the raging sandstorm outside, Ichigo lay stretched out beside his mistress, Rukia. The Amur demon purred loudly as the petite raven haired girl petted his spiky hair. Being of the Kuchiki family, one of the thirteen noble family's in the Seireitei, it was customary to travel to Karakura town for Rukia's coming of age ceremony when she turned twenty- one. Though her older brother, Byakuya, wanted to send more guards Rukia insisted that Ichigo would be enough protection, as he was specifically bought as a playmate and guardian for the petite woman.

"We'll be home soon," she told the Amur as she scratched behind his ear earning her a purr.

"Good, that after party tired me out. I mean who throws a party that lasts three days and nights straight! That's crazy," he said, his spotted tail flicked lazily back and forth, "And besides you need to get out of that girly gown, it looks weird on you."

"Shut up! They're ceremonial clothes. Unlike you I don't wear delicate silks and jewelry all the time," she retorted.

"It's not my fault, blame your brother. He's the one who thinks I should look like some work of art all the time just because I'm rare," the Amur stated matter-of-factly.

Ichigo was dressed in baggy white silk pants with a gold sash around his middle and a large gold collar necklace on his bare torso. He was adorned in gold and silver jewelry; bangles jangled on his wrists and ankles and studded earrings in his ears. There were three silver tail rings on his tail; the one in the middle had a small silver bell on it.

His hair was a fiery tangle of orange spikes. He was tall and lean, his lithe frame concealing immeasurable strength. With every move tight muscles rippled under his tanned skin. His eyes were expressive pools of liquid amber. Though male he had a slight feminine beauty to him in an indescribable way.

"Ichigo. . . .do you ever wish you were free," Rukia asked nervously. The young demon looked at her with a questioning look.

"Where did that come from," he asked

"I don't know, I'm just curious, that's all," she lied.

Though she wouldn't tell him the question had been weighing heavily on her mind. She had been thinking about releasing her beloved hybrid into the wild. He was nineteen and fully capable of surviving in the wild so she wasn't worried about that. What had her thinking was she had overheard Byakuya talking about finding Ichigo a mate. The only problem with that was he refused to let Ichigo choose for himself, he wanted only the best genes for the rare demon's offspring. Rukia had thought it was wrong to choose a mate for her beloved Amur. If there was no love she couldn't see Ichigo happy. Ever.

"Well yeah, I guess I sometimes wish I was free. Who wouldn't? I could live my life the way I wanted to without someone always telling me what to do," the Amur replied calmly. Rukia's breath caught in her throat, he had just given her the answer she was afraid of. He did want his freedom. So was she wrong to keep him as her pet?

"But I don't regret my life as a pet. I have a great home with great masters who treat me well," he smiled, "so I'm not complaining. It's just sometimes I have these dreams. I'm in the wild and I'm going somewhere but something feels different about me. I don't know it's like the wild is calling me and sometimes it takes all my willpower not to just leave. I don't know, I'm just weird. But no seriously I'm happy here," he smiled at his mistress. Despite what he said Rukia knew he wished for his freedom, even if he wouldn't acknowledge it himself.

"Ichi-," Rukia was cut off my the sound of a guard's scream, abruptly cut off. Ichigo was on his feet in an instant ready to fight. His tail bushed out to twice its size and his ears laid back. His lips curled back revealing sharp fangs as a threatening snarl erupted from his throat. The sounds of fighting sounded around the small caravan. A lone guard rushing to alert the two of danger was cut down before he even finish his warning. Grabbing the petite woman's hand he ran out leading her through the chaos. The pungent stench of blood hung heavily in the air nearly drowning out every other scent.

Their attackers were clad in sand colored cloaks that hid their faces. They were engaged in fierce battle with the caravan guards and were steadily wining. The attack had seemed to come from out of nowhere so Ichigo assumed they were raiders. A few of the attackers fell in after the fleeing two. Not dressed for desert running Rukia's ceremonial gown slowed her down causing Ichigo to curse as their assailants gained on them. Pushing Rukia behind him Ichigo turned to face their attackers. Sharp claws met cloth and tore through flesh like tissue paper, leaving his enemies to bleed out on the hot desert sand

The sound of a battle cry alerted Ichigo to a troop of reinforcements coming to the caravan's aid. Grabbing Rukia, Ichigo hid behind a knocked over carriage to get out of the way of the next battle. Anyone who had seemed like they were after the two, attention was changed to fighting in the battle, a look of frustration open on their faces as they threw the two a pointed glare. At that moment Ichigo realized that the carriage that held anything of value was untouched! These weren't raiders, they were after Rukia! The thought made Ichigo bristle, how dare they try to lay a hand on his mistress.

As Ichigo looked around he recognized the figure of Kenpachi Zaraki in the middle of the blood bath, waving his sword wildly. The man was known for his ruthless devastating fighting and unquenchable bloodlust and at the moment he was perfectly happy as a psychotic grin stretched across his face. The sight of Kenpachi sent shivers down Ichigo's spine, having been on the receiving end of his battle crazed blade as Kenpachi thought him a worthy opponent, Ichigo knew the terror running through his enemies. But Ichigo didn't expect what happened next, apparently neither did Kenpachi. A loud explosion sounded sending Kenpachi flying. The monstrous man slammed into the carriage Ichigo and Rukia where hidden behind, pushing it dangerously over the edge of a cliff. As the carriage slid Ichigo and Rukia hung on for dear life.

Ichigo had managed to pull Rukia back onto the cliff but she refused to let him go, trying to pull the heavier hybrid up. The edge of the cliff were she was perched was beginning to crumble and give way beneath her. If she kept trying to pull him up they would both die. Closing his eyes ichigo thought, 'better me than her' and looked up at the small woman with serene determination.

"Rukia. Let go."

"What are you saying idiot? I've almost got you," she responed through gritted teeth. More rocks fell.

"You can't pull me up so just let go. If you keep this up then both of us will fall to our deaths. Just let go, its better me than you anyway."

"No! I won't! Ichigo I'm going to pull you up so just shut up and wait!"

Ichigo could see she was trying with all her strength but he could also see the cliff couldn't stand much more of this. Either she let go of him or they both died. No one was around to help them as the battle was still raging. It was either this or he let his best friend die because of him. Taking a deep breath in preparation of what he was going to do he looked up determination blazing in his eyes.

"Rukia, I'm so happy I could spend this much time with you. You're my best friend and I couldn't let anything happen to you. I'd never forgive myself. Goodbye and sorry," he smiled at her. She stared at him with teary eyes and in the next instant released her grip on him when his claws met the soft flesh of her hand forcing her to let go. Clutching her torn hand she screamed his name as she watched his smiling face fall into the dark abyss. With one final thought she screamed, "ICHIGO! I GRANT YOU YOUR FREEDOM! YOUR FREE!" at least now he could die free.

* * *

Darkness surrounded Ichigo as he fell, the sound of Rukia's voice echoing around him. He was free he thought in his last moments as he waited for the sickening crunch of his bones hitting the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he had saved his mistress. He was ready to die. Memories of his life played in his mind like a movie. Memories of when he first met Rukia, the first time the Kuchiki's celebrated his birthday and all the adventures he had in the Seireitei. He remembered spending his days with Rukia and their childhood friend, Renji and the times they annoyed old man Yamamoto. As he looked back on these memories a deep purr rumbled in his throat. His life had been good, he had no regrets.

Cold and shock jolted him from his reverie as he landed in freezing water. Waves crashed and threw him against rocks and pulled him under. Resurfacing Ichigo frantically looked around, his ears pinned against his head in terror. He was in a river he thought frantically as he tried to stay afloat. The waves and rocks battered his body as he was dragged downstream. He tried calling for help but the cry was cut-off as water rushed into his mouth. He had been ready to die when he thought he had no chance but if he could swim to safety, he could live! He tried swim to what he could only hope was safety but a ruthless wave slammed him against a huge boulder, knocking the breath out of him. His head spun from the impact and his vision became blurred. His entire body ached and he felt his awareness slowly start to ebb away. He couldn't hold on for much longer, and if he didn't find solid ground soon he would drown.

The young Amur looked through heavy eyes and a spark of hope flickered dimly. Not too far away was the river bank. If he could swim a little farther he would be safe. With his last bits of energy he pushed forward determined to survive. Pebbles shifted under his fingertips and stones grazed his legs and stomach as he pulled himself from the water. Collapsing on the stony bank his sides heaved gasping heavily. Rolling onto his stomach he began to retch, coughing up river water. He fell back to the ground and stared into the forest that lay ahead. It was dark and a chill wind froze him to the bone. He'd survived the river but would he be able to survive a cold night in unfamiliar territory? His body, overcome by shock and stress, was too weak to move. As he stared into the bleak darkness he caught the silhouette of an approaching figure. It was large and shadowy and the only thing he saw before he blacked out was a blur of sky blue.

Ichigo slowly begins to wake, wincing in pain from the soreness in his body as he tries to move. He looks around realizing his surroundings are unfamiliar to him. He's resting on a large mattress like cushion with sweeping wicker back and sides. The bed rested atop a raised platform of marble, elevated off the floor. Ichigo was surrounded by smaller cushions, their colors as fiery as his hair. Looking around the room he noticed the rich furniture and décor, who ever lived here must be pretty wealthy. At that moment a thought occurred to him, where was _here_? His musings stopped as he caught the sounds of approaching footsteps and looking for shelter he hid under the piled up cushions and pillows on the bed. Only the black and white tip of his tail was visible.

Walking into the room were four demons. A blonde fennec fox with a piano tooth grin, a lanky monitor lizard with black hair and an eye patch, a muscular silver haired cougar with an agitated look on his face and a very pissed off female honey badger with blonde hair and a protruding tooth. Ichigo decide immediately he didn't want to go anywhere near the honey badger. She looked like she was ready to break a few bones. As he sat there wondering who they were the monitor broke the silence.

"Why the fuck are we in an empty room," he hissed.

"It shouldn't be. This is where Grimmjow said he left 'em," the fox replied while nonchalantly scratching his head and yawned.

"Idiots stop yer yaking all ready. The faster we get this done the faster I can go back to sleep," the badger snarled out.

The monitor obviously thought it was a good idea to mess with the badger, something that had Ichigo questioning his intelligence, because he leaned ovet the short hybrid and sneered, " Awwwww Hiyori, why so bitchy today? Could it be that time of month again? I mean you're always a bitch but today seems even worse." The fox was holding the small she-badger back as flailed and screamed shouting curses at the lizard.

"Damn it, Nnoitra! Why'd you have to get her started," the fox yelled at the lizard who was doubled over in laughter.

"Hell, I love starting shit," was his only response. Ichigo watched them out of his hiding place convinced they were all crazy. The cougar's ears twitched in frustration before he finally exploded, "Damn it all of you shut up! We have something we have to do and this is not helping! Shiji, put Hiyori down and Nnoitrra stop goading her! We need to find that missing leopard." Ichigo's breath caught in his throat, they were after him! Why? Why would they possibly want him? The cougar began to speak again and Ichigo fixed his ears forward.

"Well we gotta find it. Szayel said it wasn't your usual leopard and that we couldn't afford to lose it. He also said he wanted to take a look at him and you know how Szayel gets when he finds something new," the cougar explained.

"Hell Kensei, ya didn't have to yell," Shinji mumbled. Kensei looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel as he gritted his teeth to keep from yelling again. Ichigo sat in his hiding place, his eyes wide as he came to a conclusion. These demons most have been from that band of raiders and they wanted to ransom him back to his masters. 'HOLY SHIT,' he mentally screamed he was a hostage! He snarled at the thought, bringing the other hybrids attention to rest on the pile of cushions . Nnoitra, noticing Ichigo's tail tip sneered as reached for it taunting with a "here kitty kitty' that was promptly cut off. Ichigo launched from his hiding place snarling, claws ready and fur bushed out. The monitor just barely missed the attack and touched his bleeding cheek. Tail cracking like a whip, the monitor lunged at the Amur. Ichigo dodged the attack and landed nimbly behind him. Searching frantically for an exit as the lizard righted himself and came at him with a powerful punch. Ichigo ducked and landed one of his own in the lizard demon's gut. With a final curse the demon fell to the floor unconscious. Darting for the door he was intercepted by the cougar and fox demon who tried simply to hold him down. Pinned to the ground by the two larger males Ichigo hissed and kicked managing to hit them in the groin. The moment their grips slacked Ichigo wiggled out but now the only thing in between him and freedom was a very pissed off she-badger.

The she-badger glared venomously at the younger hybrid. This was supposed to be a very simple task but this brat had to make things difficult. Ichigo attempted to sneak around her but a threatening growl told him that wasn't going to work. Suddenly the smaller female lunged at him with surprising speed, curved claws extended, ready to inflict damage. Screw her orders this brat pissed her off and he was getting hurt. Dodging continuous swipes Ichigo fought to think of his choices in this situation. He wasn't keen on attacking a female, even if he was considered one, because he hated the possibility that he could harm them terribly. With no other choice he started to parry Hiyori's vicious swipes and jabs, mindfully avoiding her abdomen. He wasn't taking any chances. Springing high above him she came crashing down with a kick powerful enough to break a few bones. At the last second Ichigo managed to jump out of the way twisting into his own attack. His hand came down on the back of her neck in a chop just strong enough to render her unconscious.

With all his opponents unconscious he began to think of his next plan. That is until he heard a chuckle from the doorway.

"Damn guys. What the hell happened," a voice said from the doorway, "this wasn't supposed to be a hard job. Didn't think the little runt would be that much of a problem."

As he turned Ichigo's breath caught in his throat, behind him was the most sinfully perfect hybrid he'd ever seen. He was a panther, both stronger and older than Ichigo. The panther was a walking sex god, his tanned skin pulled tight over his muscular frame. His hair was the color of the sky and his eyes were wild cyan orbs with teal markings under them giving him a predatory look that sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. He had a wild feral grin plastered on his face as he took in the younger male.

"Looks like you took out my friends, heh than you must be strong," the larger male said in a voice so sinfully seductive that it fell like dripping honey. It took all of Ichigo's will power to no just submit to the larger male right then and there. Regaining his composure he scowled at the panther.

"Who are you and what do you want with me he demanded," glaring daggers at the god-like hybrid in front of him. He hoped to god that he looked intimidating but the panther simply smirked as he approached the young Amur.

"If you're strong enough to beat them all without getting a scratch on you. Now you can either come with me quietly or we'll see if your such a worthy opponent," he smirked

"What? Just tell me who you are and what you intend on doing with me," Ichigo yelled.

"The names Grimmjow and you're not in the position to make demands," he sneered as he stood over the younger feline. Oh god it was getting hard for Ichigo to stand with the older male's scent surrounding him. Mentally slapping himself he glared up at the panther. He had to find out where he was and what they were planning on doing with him. Why had they captured him?

"I don't care. Just tell me why I'm here. I know you're from the group who attacked my caravan, now what are you planning on doing with me? Do you intend on ransoming me back to my masters! Tell me what's going on right now before I claw your ears off," he threatened. A look of pure confusion flashed in the panther's eyes but quickly disappeared replacing it with humor. This could be fun.

"I'll tell you, but only if you can beat me in a fight. If you can then you're free to go, if not then you come with me. No arguments."

"Hell! What's with you and fighting me," Ichigo exploded highly annoyed though the arrangement did seem pretty fair. All this idiot seemed to talk about was fighting! Damn alpha was that all he could think about?! And what the hell is wrong with him wanting to fight a beta in the first damn place!

"After everything it took to get you here and what you did to my pack, an unruly little alpha like you aint going anywhere. I'm making sure of that. But you're welcome to try, more fun for me," he smirked.

This idiot thought he was an alpha! Then again most hybrids would considering how beta males were rare in a species. They probably just assumed that he was an alpha male. That explained why he was itching for a fight so badly. If this was the top ranking alpha male then he probably saw Ichigo as another young upstart and potential challenger for his rank. If Ichigo knew anything about battle hungry alphas it was that they don't take no for an answer if they find an opponent worth fighting. Ichigo inwardly groaned, 'oh shit.' Well if it was a fight this idiot wanted then that's what he'd get. With a long hiss he swiped at the panther with razor sharp claws.

Grimmjow easily leaned out of the way and sneered, he finally goaded the leopard into a fight. Yes this was going to be fun. Ichigo charged in from the side and dropped down into a rotating kick which Grimmjow also evaded. The panther then started attacking with a few lightening fast punches that had Ichigo panicking to avoid. He was fast but if Ichigo could find an opening he could gain a little leverage in this fight. Ducking quickly he evaded the attack and managed to land an uppercut directly into Grimmjow's jaw sending him back. Grimmjow stood there rubbing his jaw for a moment before his feral grin returned.

"Now this is getting good," he smirked.

The two erupted into a frenzy of fierce fighting, claws clashed and blows were exchanged. After about twenty minutes of fierce fighting both were panting but as Grimmjow was preparing his next attack another hybrid appeared. She was a lithe she- panther with hip length sea foam green hair. Her furious hazel eyes locked on Grimmjow and she dashed in front of the larger hybrid, grabbed him by his shirt and threw him into the wall. The female was quite attractive with her curvatious figure and the crimson streak running across her pretty face added an exotic air to her. But despite her appearance Ichigo knew she was as wild and deadly as her blue counterpart. She had just thrown Grimmjow into a wall, effortlessly, it would be best to avoid fighting her.

**Author note:**** hey guys sacred here. i hoped you guys liked this chapter :D the writing style will probably be different from later chapters. thats because i started these last year and my writing style changed abit. so please bear with me. oh and if you notice the hybrids being called demons thats from an idea long ago. please ignore that. i did my best to find them all and change them. thanks for reading and i'll continue working on these.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"_He has come. He has come. He is the ONE. He will change everything. He MUST stay in Los Noches. He has finally returned." _Ichigo listened to the voices as he slept. They were both unfamiliar but familiar and spoke in hushed whispers. Slowly he opened his eyes, expecting to see himself surrounded by the Los Noches hybrids but instead found himself underwater. Gentle waves lapped on the surface he was staring at and as he tried to move he found he couldn't. He began to panic, remembering the river and how he almost drowned. He stopped his struggle to regain control of his body and exhaled, ready to accept his fate. He then realized something, he could breath! Taking a deep breath he tried to scream for help but no sound came out. His ear twitched in an annoyed manner.

'Okay. So I'm underwater. I can breathe. I can't fucking move, and I can't even call for help! What the fuck is going on,' he mentally screamed.

'Pipe down already would ya? You're making enough noise to wake the dead,' said an annoyed voice.

Looking around Ichigo's gaze fell on a figure he hadn't noticed before, if he was even there to begin with. Ichigo let out a gasp of shock. The figure he was looking at was a mirror image of himself save for a few differences. The first being he was pure white, from his skin to his hair to his clothes only his nails were black. The second and most striking feature was his eyes. They were intense golden orbs surrounded by a sea of black and at the moment they were giving him an annoyed glare.

'Who, what are you,' Ichigo whispered.

'Oh wow, aint you a smart one,' the figure sneers, 'Names Shiro, I'm part of your spirit, stupid.'

'My _spirit_? What part of my spirit," Ichigo asks confused.

'Right now it's the annoyed part. It'd be nice if you could figure shit out on yer own,' Shiro replied annoyed.

'Fine. Whatever, I don't care if you tell me or not. I just need to find a way to get out of. . . .where am I? When I went to sleep I was in Los Noches with that pain in the butt panther," Ichigo answers.

'Whether you like it or not, that panther's gonna be good for you,' Shiro states calmly.

'Wait. What? Why! I want nothing to do with him,' Ichigo screams at his inner spirit.

Shiro simply sighed and closed his eyes. Why'd he have to be this stubborn kid's guardian?!

'Forget whether you want anything to do with him or not! He's gonna be good for you, now shut up! You don't know where you are and you're gonna need someone to watch out for you,' Shiro yelled.

'But.'

'NO BUTS! Now leave,' Shiro yelled, his temper finally lost.

Ichigo starts to ebb from the underwater world and slowly began to hear more voices. This time he recognized a few of them.

"So is he gonna be okay," came Nel's worried voice.

"He'll be fine. He's simply recovering from all the stress," replied an unfamiliar voice.

"Hmpf! Serves the little bitch right! If he wasn't a whatcha callit? A-mor leopard I'd pound him into a pulp right now," came another voice that sounded like Nnoitra.

"Oh shut up Nnoitra, you're just mad he kicked your ass. Don't forget he beat everyone else too. Get over it," Grimmjow sighed.

Nnoitra trying to argue was silenced by Nel.

"Quiet you two before you wake him."

"He'll need someone to watch over him or he might try to escape," the unfamiliar voice said to Nel. Thinking for a moment her face lit up with a huge smile before pointing at Grimmjow and exclaiming, "Grimmjow can do it!" The entire room fell silent the only thing breaking the silence being the sound of Grimmjow's tail lashing through the air in an annoyance.

"Why me," he demanded. Nel simply looked at him innocently and sighed. Her brother could be such an idiot sometimes.

"Grimmjow you were the only one he didn't take out. I think you're the only one who could actually handle him and keep him from escaping if he tried. I mean seriously Grimmjow, he took out _Hiyori_. I don't think anyone here has enough strength to handle him. I mean you ARE the strongest in Los Noches after all."

With his ego sufficiently stroked Grimmjow accepted. Ichigo felt a lump in his stomach starting to form. Grimmjow, why did it have to be that arrogant idiot?!

"Grimmjow I want you to make sure he gets enough rest. He's had a pretty stressful day. But do make sure to take him around Los Noches and show him around. Introduce him to both the Espada and the Visored. Teach him about how things work here. If he's going to stay here he's going to have to know the rules. Oh and don't let him escape," the unfamiliar voice said.

"I got this, don't worry Szayel," Grimmjow replied as he picked Ichigo up bridal-style and carried him away. Ichigo then fell back into total unconsciousness.

A few hours had passed and Ichigo found himself on another large cushion-bed. The sheets were silk and dozens of cool blue and fiery orange pillows surrounded him. Confused he sat up and looked around. It took him a minute to realize he wasn't back with Rukia in her bedroom, but in Los Noches. Before he could think further the door opened and in stepped Grimmjow. Ichigo immediately began to growl, he bared his fangs and pinned his ears back snarling. Unaffected Grimmjow walked over and sat down beside him on the bed. Ichigo's growling didn't stop and as he tried to move away he found himself pulled into Grimmjow's arms, his grip like steel. Ichigo was really getting pissed off now and his warning growl became a full fledged snarl as he tried to free himself.

"Jeez, calm down already," Grimmjow said.

"Why the hell should I! You've got a steel grip around my waist and you expect me to calm down?! I don't want anything to do with you or this place," Ichigo snarled, ears pinned back.

"You and I both know that if I wasn't holding onto you you'd try to escape or something. So promise you'll behave and then I'll let go," Grimmjow bargained.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I guess we're stuck like cuz I'm not letting you go just to chase you down."

Ichigo weighted his options. Agree not to run away or deal with this arrogant, stubborn alpha holding onto him for the rest of the day. It didn't take long for Ichigo to realize the better choice.

"Fine," he mumbled.

Looking triumphant Grimmjow let go. Ichigo just sat there, ears down with a mutinous look on his face. Standing up Grimmjow grabbed him by the wrist and pulled, not hard enough to hurt but strong enough for Ichigo to realize he was expected to get up.

"Where are we going," he asked.

"I've gotta give you the grand tour of Los Noches since you'll be living here," Grimmjow explained. Ichigo still wasn't fond of the idea of living there but complied with the larger male.

As the two males walked through the busy square a certain tension settled around them. Ichigo, unused to Los Noches' bustle, clung closely to Grimmjow. Unconsciously seeking the blue alpha's comfort and reassurance Ichigo twinned his spotted tail around the older male's own tail. Grimmjow cast the anxious male a questioning glance but said nothing. Ichigo's ears were pinned against his head fearfully as each new sound and scent assaulted him. Suddenly a group of young cubs sped by, reckless in their play, and startled Ichigo. The startled Amor jumped into Grimmjow, his tail tip quivering and his fur standing on end.

'Damn he's jumpy,' thought Grimmjow, "C'mon."

"Huh?"

"You're moving to slow. We've got all of Los Noches to see and you're moving to slow," he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," he snapped, "I didn't even want to come!"

Speeding up he unwound his tail from Grimmjow's and stomped off. Grimmjow sighed. He'd have his work cut out for him with this little leopard.

As the two continued through Los Noches Grimmjow showed Ichigo the marketplace and the craftsmen's guilds. After a few twists and turns they ended up on a rooftop with an incredible view. Mesmerized Ichigo looked out at the scene before him. Closest to him were the houses of the residential area. Crafted from white stone and corals, every home sparkled in the slowly setting sunlight. Beyond the houses were fields and fields of crops with small figures moving about tending to the produce, the farms. And bordering both sides of the city were enormous cliff wall that ran all the way to the ocean. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat.

"Beautiful isn't it? Figured it would be easier to show you the city like this. Considering how late its getting I wouldn't have been able to show you the entire city in time."

"It. . . . .it's AMAZING," Ichigo breathe.

"Told ya. Los Noches is probably the most beautiful place in the world. It's so free, so. . .natural."

"You really love it here don't you?"

"Che hell yeah. I grew up here. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else," a faraway look crept into his eyes as he looked over Los Noches. With a deep sigh he straightened up and turned towards Ichigo.

"Well c'mon we gotta go. I still need to introduce you to the Visored and the Espada."

"Who are they," asked a confused Ichigo.

"They're the guardians and nobles of Los Noches. They keep Los Noches safe from the Shinigami and maintain the peace and order of the city. You'll learn more when you meet them."

As the twilight sun set Ichigo found himself being led through the residential area. As they moved through the nearly vacant streets Ichigo continued his sightseeing as he was led around. Much to Grimmjow's chagrin, Ichigo kept stopping and wandering off to satisfy his feline curiosity. Finally getting fed up with constantly retrieving the distracted feline Grimmjow snapped.

"Damn it! Will you stop trying to escape!?"

"I'm not trying to escape," Ichigo replied as his ears drooped, "I just wanted a closer look."

Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow with a pouty puppy dog face causing the panther to feel that annoying pang of guilt again. As he held the little Amur's stare he pondered why he kept feeling guilty around Ichigo. He knew that as a young alpha Ichigo could be a hell raiser if Grimmjow left him unchecked so scolding the leopard was the right thing to do. . . right? Suddenly a glimmer caught the panther's eye at a nearby booth. The shopkeeper, a kind elderly woman, was packing up shop as Grimmjow approached. She smiled a greeting at the gruff alpha who unexpectedly returned it. He picked up a delicate silver chocker with a small shell and coral bell pendent that chimed in the breeze. Paying the shopkeeper two silver coins he returned to Ichigo holding out the little choker.

"Here," said Grimmjow.

"What's that?"

"It's a bonding choker. Usually an alpha would give it to his intended to mark them as their mate. But since you're obviously a lil' alpha I'll just use it to tell if you've . . . wandered off again. If I can still hear the bell it'll save me the trouble of constantly having to go find you," Grimmjow replied in a voice like rough velvet. Ichigo swooned the closer Grimmjow got. Being a beta male Ichigo would be susceptible to the pheromones the alpha was unconsciously emitting, clouding the young leopard's senses. As Grimmjow placed the choker on, Ichigo vaguely registered needing to make a choice as he leaned in towards the blue panther. He could either allow Grimmjow to attach the choker, labeling him as Grimmjow's intended or rip it off as a refusal because whether Grimmjow knew it or not, he was marking Ichigo as his.

Hazily pondering the choice Ichigo was about to object but Shiro snarled in his mind, _"If you say ANYTHING I will drive a nail into each and every one of the vertebrae in your tail,"_ and promptly shut his mouth.

"Crazy fucker," Ichigo thought."

"_I heard that!"Shiro snapped _and Ichigo's temper flared.

"Then stay the fuck outta my head," he shot back.

"_Can't dumbass. I live here. Always have. Always will," _Shiro leered. Ichigo could feel the snide look on his bleached reflection's face and wanted to claw it off.

"-go…Ichigo. ICHIGO!" snapped back to reality Ichigo was spun around to face Grimmjow. Piercing cyan eyes penetrated his defenses and hands clamped around his arms with a steel grip.

"Wha- what," Ichigo stammered.

"I asked if you were ok. You were spacing out while I was trying to talk to you," Grimmjow replied coolly, keeping that piercing gaze on the smaller male.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. Could you, um maybe, step back," Ichigo stammered as he placed his hands on Grimmjow's chest and gave a feeble push. Grimmjow smirked at this and held Ichigo's hand in place as he moved closer.

"What, you don't like me in your personal space kitty," he drawled low in his ear, "Then I think I'll stay riiight here," he smirked and leaned in closer, trapping Ichigo between himself and the wall behind him. The blush on Ichigo's face blazed across his cheeks. With each breath the alpha took Ichigo could feel the muscles ripple under his hand. With each inhale he drew in more of the intoxicating scent the alpha was unconsciously emitting. And with each blink the image of Grimmjow was burning itself into Ichigo's retinas. With slow recognition, Ichigo realized what was happening and harshly shoved the alpha away. He was imprinting! Imprinting happened during a beta's first heat cycle with a possible partner, IF said partner distinguished their submissive as their mate in some way. Whether by fighting for them, leaving a mating mark, or declaring them as such, whether verbally or not, imprinting could happen and would bind them he ran. Once free Ichigo sped off, his cheeks burning red and the tingling of a bell sounding as he walked off. Confused Grimmjow stared after the little beta.

"Strange. I didn't think I teased him _that_ bad. . . .maybe I went too far," he pondered and went off to find the little leopard. Unbeknownst to both males they were being observed by a pair of golden eyes in a nearby tree.

"Hmmm interesting," purred the voice before the figure leapt from the tree, stealthily following the pair.

"Oh my god! I was imprinting! No no no no no this can't be happening. I can NOT imprint on that arrogant, self-absorbed, muscled brained idiot," Ichigo's mind whirled.

"_Hey you could do worse for a mate_," Shiro interjected.

"I don't want a fucking mate! Not him at least!"

"_Well what do you expect is going to happen?! I already told you that alpha is going to be good for you. What the hell did you think I meant!"_

"A guide! A friend, but I don't want HIM as my mate Shiro! I've seen the mated hybrids in the Seireitei! For the beta's its like having another master and I finally got my freedom, I don't want to go back to that," Ichigo nearly sobbed, "I wanted a choice."

"_Just calm down for a second. You wouldn't imprint if you didn't like him as a potential. So on some level you're already attracted to him."_

"But," Ichigo pouted, "I've always wanted to get know my mate not just randomly start imprinting on whoever just happens to be closest!"

"_That's just the hormones. You're entering a heat cycle and your hormones are thrown outta wack. Kinda like a girl when she's PMSing," Shiro smiled._

"Gee, thanks," Ichigo scowled.

"_You know what I mean. Anyway just calm down and follow your instincts. Don't worry; you do still have a choice. You can choose anyone you want or even no one at all. Heh that'll fuck with their minds. So just calm down and enjoy Los Noches," Shiro said, slowing fading back into the resources of Ichigo's mind. _Ichigo took a deep breath. He still had a choice. He could still choose whom he'd end up with and with as many males in Los Noches there had to be at least one he'd like. Certainly not that arrogant panther though. He didn't care about anyone but himself. A chilling cackling sound echo as he walked and a pair of hyena hybrids skulked out of the shadows of an alleyway, insane grins plastered on their faces.

"Well well well, would you lookie here. Looks like we found ourselves a little kitty cat. Whaduya think we should do with him," asked one.

"Lookin at all that fancy jewelry weighing him down I think we should help relieve him of his burden," replied the other taking a step forward then halting, nose twitching in Ichigo direction.

"Interestin'," it said, "Lil' kitty cat here is giving off a strange scent. Kinda like a bitch in heat. What do you think we should do with him?"

"We'll stick to the original plan and take his jewelry but I guess we can have a little fun with him too. I'm pretty pent up anyway."

'Oh shit," thought Ichigo. He slowly tensed, preparing to either flee or fight but the hyenas rushed him and he suddenly found himself on the ground with his left arm pinned behind him. Ichigo snarled in protest and struggled to get up but the hyenas had him trapped.

"Calm down Kitty cat. This won't hurt TOO much," sneered the one on top of him, "Hey pass me that bottle." The other hybrid handed over a small bottle with a suspicious green liquid inside. Uncorking the top the hyena brought it under Ichigo's nose. The bottles contents had a suspiciously soothing scent.

"Sniff," he commanded. Ichigo turned away and snapped at the hyena's hand earning him a slap against the face.

"Little shit," snarled the larger hyena, "alright if you won't do this the easy way I guess we'll have to do it the hard way." Shoving the necklaces aside he opened his mouth revealing bone crushing fangs and took a swig from the bottle. He then gave a very frightening toothy smile to the trapped leopard, oily green liquid dripping from his fangs, and bit Ichigo at the junction of his neck and shoulder. The little leopard shrieked in agonized pain and tried to shove the stronger male off to no avail. The hyena bit harder and forced Ichigo down further against the ground. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity to Ichigo and he began to feel hot and sluggish. By the time the hyena finally released his neck Ichigo was panting heavily.

"Damn, used the whole bottle," the hyena huffed.

"What….What did you do to me," he struggled to say. Both hyenas chuckled darkly.

"Oh nothing. We just gave you something that makes all you kitty cats really…_relaxed. _Now we can have some fun." Ichigo blacked out as the hyenas let loose cruel cackling laughter.

_**Author's Note: **__**Hey guys Sacred here, I really can't apologize enough for how long it took to update. School and life just sorta got in the way but thanks to all of you who have been patient with me. I think for update speed purposes I'll start making the chapters a little shorter so I can post more. But any guesses on what that green liquid was? **_


End file.
